This Passata Pasta Sauce with Mediterranean Vegetables is easy, versatile, and packed full of veg, perfect for stirring through pasta or adding to other recipes.
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A tomato pasta sauce is handy to always keep in the freezer. It's delicious on its own or can be used in many other recipes such as Vegetarian Lasagne with Mediterranean Vegetables or Veggie Pesto Pasta Bake. You can also serve it with Pork Meatballs in tomato sauce with pasta or how about in a Creamy Sausage and Vegetable Pasta Bake?
Packed with 5 different Mediterranean vegetables, you can keep the sauce chunky or put it through the blender to create a lovely smooth sauce. This can really enhance the Italian flavour and you'll never want to go back to a store-bought jar again. When blended, you can even use it like a marinara sauce on simple homemade pizza no yeast. For a deluxe version of this recipe, check out my Aubergine Stew recipe, also called Caponata, a delicious sweet savoury and sour dish from Sicily.
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Ingredients
Fresh Italian ingredients give this simple pasta sauce its amazing flavour.
- Passata - (tomato puree in the US) is just strained tomatoes with no seeds or skins. Buy the best quality you can afford. Cheaper versions have a higher water content that will make the sauce thinner.
- Aubergines - (eggplant US) look for ones with shiny firm skin
- Courgettes - (zucchini US) these should be firm and not too large, around 20cm in length is a good size.
- Red Bell Pepper - these add sweetness and also a nice crunchy texture.
- Red onion - also known as purple onions they are sweeter than brown onions and are native to Italy.
- Olive oil - a good extra virgin olive oil is essential to Italian cooking.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Chop all the vegetables into small pieces about 1cm cubed.
Add the olive oil to a large pan and gently fry the red onion until soft.
Add the peppers, courgette and aubergine and fry for 5 minutes.
Stir the passata into the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Blitz some or all of the sauce together if required. This is a great way to 'hide' the vegetables if you need to, but also gives it a lovely flavour.
Hint: If cooking a large batch of passata pasta sauce, you only need enough liquid to just cover the vegetables so may not need to double or treble the quantity of passata. When making larger quantities, I find it easier to cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 180°C / 360°F / gas mark 4. Place everything in an oven-proof dish, cover with a lid, and place in the oven.
Substitutions
This is such a versatile pasta sauce recipe and great for using up leftovers.
- Vegetables - as well as the traditional Mediterranean vegetables, you could also add carrots, and mushrooms or stir through some fresh spinach.
- Herbs - I like to use fresh basil leaves as the flavour reminds me of Italy, but you could also use parsley, oregano, or even fennel.
- Balsamic Vinegar - a few drops of good quality balsamic vinegar will add a nice sweetness to the sauce.
- Red Wine - a splash of red wine will add a deeper flavour.
- Chickpeas, lentils, or beans - these can be added to the recipe to make it go further which can be a healthy and economical option. I recommend using tinned or canned versions of chickpeas and beans that have already been soaked and are ready to use. Red lentils cook quicker than brown or green lentils. Simmer the sauce until they are soft.
Variations
There are lots of ways you can easily adapt this recipe to suit your taste. These are just some ideas.
- Spicy - add chilli pepper flakes for some extra heat.
- Creamy - stir through some creme fraiche or cream for a lovely creamy pasta sauce.
- Kid friendly - if you need to hide the vegetables, just put the sauce through a blender to get rid of those lumps that some kids struggle with.
Sustainability
A homemade pasta sauce using passata is not only cheaper than buying jars, but it also generates less waste as this is such as easy recipe to make in bulk. All of the vegetables can be bought organic. Although you can buy them all year round, they are in season in the summer and the flavour is so much better. Try to buy the vegetables lose to minimise single-use plastic. If you need to buy pre-packed, don't let any extra go to waste, just add them in. As it's a sauce, it may change the balance of flavours slightly, but will still taste good.
Serving Suggestions
Stir this healthy tomato sauce through your favourite pasta or add it to other recipes such as pasta bakes, lasagnas, or casseroles. A little black pepper, a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese, and a few fresh herbs over the top sets it off.
Storage
Passata pasta sauce will keep in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. It freezes well and will keep for 3 - 4 months. After that time it will still be safe to eat, but over time the quality and texture may change. I freeze this in individual portions in re-used glass jam jars. It can easily be defrosted in the microwave in the glass jar.
How to freeze leftover cooked pasta
Any leftover cooked pasta can also be frozen. Leave the pasta to cool then stir through a little olive oil so it doesn't all stick together. Place the pasta in an airtight container or freezer bag and store for up to 2 months. To reheat, just place in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes.
Top tip
I always make a large batch of this sauce as it can be used in so many different recipes. Cooking a larger quantity will also help save on energy costs.
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📖 Recipe
Passata Pasta Sauce with Mediterranean Vegetables
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil organic, fairtrade
- 1 red onion organic, peeled and diced
- 1 red pepper organic, de-seeded and diced
- 1 courgette zucchini, organic, diced
- 1 aubergines eggplant, organic, cubed
- 500 g passata tomato puree (US) organic
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash black pepper fairtrade
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pan and gently fry the onion until soft.2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 red onion
- Add the peppers, courgette and aubergine and fry for 5 minutes.1 red pepper, 1 courgette, 1 aubergines
- Stir the passata in to the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.500 g passata, 1 dash salt, 1 dash black pepper
- Blitz some or all of the sauce together if required. This is a great way to 'hide' the vegetables if you need to, but also gives it a lovely flavour.
- Serve with pasta and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Notes
Ingredients
- Passata - (tomato puree in the US) is just strained tomatoes with no seeds or skins. Buy the best quality you can afford. Cheaper versions have a higher water content that will make the sauce thinner.
- Aubergines - (eggplant US) look for ones with shiny firm skin
- Courgettes - (zucchini US) these should be firm and not too large, around 20cm in length is a good size.
- Red Bell Pepper - these add sweetness and also a nice crunchy texture.
- Red onion - also known as purple onions they are sweeter than brown onions and are native to Italy.
- Olive oil - a good extra virgin olive oil is essential to Italian cooking.
Making a Batch
You only need enough liquid to just cover the vegetables so may not need to double or treble the quantity of passta. When making a batch, I find it easier to cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 180°C / 360°F / gas mark 4. Place everything in an oven proof dish, cover with a lid and place in the oven.Storage
Passata pasta sauce will keep in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. It freezes well and will keep for 3 - 4 months. After that time it will still be safe to eat, but over time the quality and texture may change. I freeze this in individual portions in re-used glass jam jars. It can easily be defrosted in the microwave in the glass jar.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
Tayler Ross
I made this pasta for dinner last night and my whole family enjoyed it immensely! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Beth
I absolutely love this. There are so many sauce recipes out there that take forever to make, and I love that this one is so fast and full of flavor!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
This is a great way to use up home grown veggies in so many different ways. Such great flavour here.
Michelle
What a great vegetable-ladened pasta, cannot wait to give it a try!
GUNJAN
This is such a great recipe. I loved that you included so many vegetables in pasta. My kids loved it and asked me to make it again 🙂
Angela
What an incredible sauce recipe! This is so perfect to put in all of the summer veggies I have on hand right now. Easy and delicious, thanks for the great recipe!